DNA Lounge, 2022. Noise Pop Fest. King Woman headlining. But earlier in the night, in the small room upstairs, a lesser-known trio began summoning their own blood red bludgeoning of sound. It was my first experience hearing Kim, and I’ve since been eager to hear their evolution in the studio.
Nearly two years later, the Oakland band returns with their first full-length album Sir Kim, a doom metal monstrosity worthy of a little hearing loss. Wasting no time, the work opens with the full sound of plodding riffs and elegiac, witchy recitation on “MADAM,” giving way to a screaming plunge into the abyss, the riffs swelling into megalithic pillars. Kim maintains that energy throughout the album—as much as the band’s performance, the production and mixing work stands out, with no accidental noise or thinness here. It just sounds good in the way where you’re not quite sure it can be too loud. Of note: The album also includes a cover of “Jackie” by Sinéad O’Connor, taken from her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and according to the artist the second song she ever wrote.
